The Filipino president has announced a "cabinet reshuffle" to "adjust our actions to the expectations of the people." The failure to elect five out of eleven candidates for Senate seats, crucial in the battle against the "Duterte clan," weighs heavily. The goal is to revitalise the administration’s initiatives to overcome poverty, inadequate public services, and limited opportunities for young people.

After 2,454 days unjustly behind bars, the former senator and minister of Justice is back in Congress, in the House of Representatives this time. With the opposition party, Mamamayang Liberal (ML), she will challenge the political oligarchies of the Duterte and Marcos clans. For the families of the victims of the war on drugs, she represents hope for justice. Hers is “A fragile mandate that carries the weight of people’s hopes”.

Population growth has put pressure on the school system. The Department of Education plans to spend almost US$ 80 million to create new teaching positions. However, according to official statistics, 11 per cent of children and young people up to the age of 14 do not go to school due to household poverty. At present, 60 per cent of the 77.3 million Filipinos of working age are employed.

The priest is one of the few who knows the Filipino Sign Language. His choice goes back to a meeting with a group of deaf people during the papal visit in 2015. Ministering the sacraments, starting with confession, represents a challenge. Working with Setsunan University in Osaka has been a success.

Almost 70 million voters cast their ballot in midterm elections for Congress and local government. The outgoing majority in Congress should consolidate its hold. Local elections are a mixed bag with differences and divisions, with local coalition building the name of the game.

The religious family to which the new pontiff belonged, and which he led as Prior General for 12 years, has a long history of missionary presence on the Asian continent, beginning with the Basilica of Santo Niño in Cebu. Fellow Augustinians in India and Indonesia describe him as "a deeply spiritual man, capable of truly listening." His coat of arms features a phrase from Augustine and the order's emblem: a burning heart pierced by an arrow above a book.